The Revolution: A Manifesto |  | Author: Ron Paul
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Category: Book
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Rating:  872 reviews
Media: Paperback
Pages: 208
Number Of Items: 1
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Dimensions (in): 7.9 x 5.1 x 0.6
ISBN: 0446537527
Dewey Decimal Number: 973.931092
EAN: 9780446537520
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Product Description
The Revolution: A Manifesto (paperback) by Ron Paul 2009
From Publishers Weekly
Congressman, Republican Presidential candidate and author Paul (A Foreign Policy of Freedom) says "Let the revolution begin" with this libertarian plea for a return to "the principles of our Founding Fathers: liberty, self-government, the Constitution, and a noninterventionist foreign policy." Specific examples demonstrate how far U.S. law has strayed from this path, particularly over the past century, as well as Paul's firm grasp of history and dedication to meaningful debate: "it is revolutionary to ask whether we need troops in 130 countries... whether the accumulation of more and more power in Washington has been good for us...to ask fundamental questions about privacy, police-state measures, taxation, social policy." Though he can rant, Paul is informative and impassioned, giving readers of any political bent food for thought. With harsh words for both Democrats and Republicans, and especially George W. Bush, Paul's no-nonsense text questions the "imperialist" foreign policy that's led to the war in Iraq ("one of the most ill considered, poorly planned, and... unnecessary military conflicts in American history"), the economic situation and rampant federalism treading on states' rights and identities ("The Founding Fathers did not intend for every American neighborhood to be exactly the same"). Though his policy suggestions can seem extreme, Paul's book gives new life to old debates.
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Showing reviews 1-5 of 872
The most important book written since COMMON SENSE April 22, 2008
J. D. Seagraves (Michigan)
726 out of 763 found this review helpful
Dr. Ron Paul's THE REVOLUTION: A MANIFESTO is a concise (167 pages) and convincing argument for a return to America's libertarian principles. During his campaign for president, Dr. Paul established a very diverse following: Republicans, Democrats, Greens, and "even some anarchists," he would joke. In truth, many people were drawn to him due his obvious sincerity -- a breath of fresh air! -- even if they did not fully agree with or understand his ideology. Now they will understand and become Austro-Jeffersonians, one and all!
The first chapter, "The False Choices of American Politics," demonstrates why those Ron Paul supporters who do understand his message cannot bring themselves to vote for either McCain or Hillary/Obama, or even to really care who among them wins: There is very little (if any) substantive difference between them. They may disagree about when and where to use foreign intervention, but never over whether it should be used at all. They may disagree over how fast interest rates should be cut by the Fed, but never over whether the Fed should exist. You get the idea.
Chapters 2 and 3 are titled "The Foreign Policy of the Founding Fathers" and "The Constitution," respectively. Here Dr. Paul challenges his neocon and liberal opponents to openly condemn the wisdom of the founding fathers, which they do with their actions, or else follow it. The framers of the Constitution were far from unanimous -- there were bitter disputes among so-called "Federalists" (Hamiltonian nationalists) and "republicans" (Jeffersonian decentralists) -- but today's neocon/liberals reject the wisdom of both parties, taking an expansive view of their powers that even Hamilton himself would have seen as excessive.
Chapter 4, "Economic Freedom," may be an eye-opening one for many readers. First, there are the liberals who were attracted to Dr. Paul's campaign, who may for the first time be presented with a contrast between the true Austro-Jeffersonian libertarian brand of capitalism and the inflationist, Kudlow & Company / Forbes magazine variety. Secondly there are many "paleoconservatives" I met who supported Dr. Paul but were under the mistaken impression that he was against free trade -- nothing could be further from the truth! In fact, as Dr. Paul points out here, he is 100% in favor of unilateral, unconditional free trade and 100% against quotas, sanctions, embargoes, duties, and protective tariffs. He does oppose phony "free-trade" deals like NAFTA and the WTO (joining many liberal Democrats in doing so, but for different reasons) not because they "steal American jobs" (they don't), but because they limit trade too greatly. Furthermore, they erode constitutional sovereignty and work for the benefit of politically connected elites, something with which libertarians, paleocons, and liberals can all agree.
All three constituencies will also cheer Chapter 5, "Civil Liberties and Personal Freedom." Here the contrast between Jeffersonian libertarianism (once considered "liberalism" before that philosophy was given a bad name in the early twentieth century) and the so-called "conservatism" of the neocons and post-WWII New Rightists is perhaps at its greatest. Ron Paul supports the Constitution and the limits it places on government -- which makes him a "blame America" leftist among the neocon punditry, all apologists for the liberal Wilson/FDR/Truman/LBJ foreign policy, by the way.
But the best and most important chapter, without a doubt, is Chapter 6, "Money: The Forbidden Issue in American Politics." Here Dr. Paul expertly details the operations of the Federal Reserve System in stunning clarity -- no conspiracy theories or half-truths that often further obfuscate discussion of the secretive monetary authority. The Austrian (and true) perspective on the Fed is not to be horrified that the Fed isn't a government agency (it is, even if indirectly), but to be outraged that all banks are essentially arms of the government. We don't need the government to have even more control over the money supply, we need it to have no control whatsoever (the exact opposite of what movies like FREEDOM TO FASCISM seem to suggest). What's more, Dr. Paul doesn't spread the myth that the Fed somehow profits as an entity when it creates money (its profits go to the Treasury), but instead, politically connected individuals and businesses profit at the expense of working-class and poor families. You see, the effects of inflation are not uniform -- the Fed System works as a wealth redistribution system from poor and middle-class to the rich and politically connected. How so? Buy this book and find out!
Finally, the book ends with the self-titled seventh chapter in which Dr. Paul lays out a moderate and realistic course that could be accomplished over one or two presidential terms. I'm tempted to share this blueprint for you here but I don't want to discourage anyone from buying the book. Instead, I'll use the last few words of this review to lament the fact that this blueprint will certainly not be implemented by the next president. Perhaps a young man or woman who volunteered for Ron Paul's campaign in 2008 will work his or her way up through the political establishment and be swept into office, with a like-minded Paulian Congress, sixteen years from now (just as Reagan followed sixteen years after Goldwater -- not that either of these two are to be looked at as heroes. . .). We can only hope that the Republic can endure that long!
Ron Paul's Legacy April 12, 2008
L. H. Rockwell, Jr. (Auburn, Alabama)
1031 out of 1089 found this review helpful
Ron Paul's legacy--from decades of principled defense of freedom, peace, and sound money--is inculcated in this very important book. Just the right length, it convincingly and eloquently advances the Ron Paul philosophy. It's a book for beginners and for all of us, no matter how well-read, on liberty, Austrian economics, the Federal Reserve, the free market, the welfare state, and the warfare state. No mere "campaign book," this is one for the ages. And I especially appreciated the suggested reading list at the end. Ron, thank you for your shining example in congress, for teaching millions through your presidential race, and for being--as this extraordinary book shows--the Tom Paine of the second American revolution. Fellow Ron Paulians, we have only begun.
Now or never . . . April 17, 2008
T. Anderson (Annapolis)
487 out of 523 found this review helpful
I think it is fair to say that Ron Paul has risked his life by identifying the essential elements by which the power élite controls our lives. Dr. Paul is a giant in the fields of sound Constitutional doctrine, sound economics, and the philosophy of freedom. Having spent years reading hundreds of books on these same subjects, I can truly appreciate how he has not only mastered these subjects but has provided the quintessential reading list for lovers of liberty everywhere.
The book is a wonderful synopsis of the hopes and expectations of the Founders and how we have fallen short of those expectations and is sprinkled with insightful quotes from Thomas Aquinas, Ludwig Von Mises, Frédéric Bastiat, et al. In short, it is exactly what it claims to be . . . a manifesto - a statement of political principles and intentions.
And what are those intentions? A call to action to complete the revolution started in 1776. One man cannot start a revolution, but like Thomas Paine with "Common Sense" he can waken a dormant spirit. Let the revolution begin.
Manifesto of the Revolution April 19, 2008
Christopher D. Pille (The Shire)
134 out of 140 found this review helpful
This book is a must-read.
I truly believe that historians will one day write of THE REVOLUTION as the book that inspired a national movement to reverse America's decline.
It begins with a reality check. Our entitlement programs are insolvent. The dollar is collapsing yet we continue to borrow billions from China every day. National bankruptcy looms while we play empire games abroad, weakening our national defense and stirring up hostility against us. And the political class offers no alternative. Artificial limitations on free debate ensure that the right questions are never asked, let alone answered.
The book's core message is that our current path is unsustainable. Either we face the facts and revert gracefully from empire to republic, or financial reality will make itself known in increasingly uncomfortable ways until the system degenerates into chaos.
It seems impossible to me that anyone could read this book from cover to cover and come to a different conclusion. In concise and captivating prose, Ron Paul takes a rhetorical wrecking ball to the conventional wisdom about terrorism, foreign policy, the economy, healthcare, taxes, trade, the war on drugs, foreign aid, international institutions, and much more. He lambasts the media and political establishments for sustaining the illusion of a fantasy world while liberty and prosperity are silently strangled.
When the dust clears, all that remains standing is the legacy of our founding fathers. Ron Paul eloquently defends the original intent of the founders and the continued relevance of the Constitution. He draws for us a beautiful picture of America - the way it was meant to be, the way it still can be.
Forget the campaign-season rhetoric about unity and change. Here, finally, is a message - a manifesto - around which Americans can unite. "In the final analysis," Ron Paul writes, "the last line of defense in support of freedom and the Constitution consists of the people themselves."
It is that time. The system is compromised. The government is not coming to the rescue. The media will only distract you. The future of our Republic will be decided by you and me. As a first step, let us rouse our neighbors by spreading this book far and wide.
Ron Paul has written a masterpiece that deserves to be read by every American. It enlightens and inspires from the first page to its final sentence:
"Let the revolution begin."
The only campaign book with something to say April 21, 2008
Scott Hilleque (Austin, TX United States)
111 out of 116 found this review helpful
Every election cycle, most presidential candidates write (or have ghost-written) a book to be released during the primary contest. These cliché texts are almost always the same; heartfelt anecdotes of formative years, hard work done to overcome obstacles and establish themselves in their adult lives, and finally a series of platitudes and vague commitments to right the wrongs, fight the good fights, and to put in the hard work needed to make the world a Better Place(tm). In short, sophomoric emotional crap that doesn't help in any way to clarify the candidates abilities, positions, or principles. Worse yet, you will almost never find a statement indicating the candidates justification for a policy position, references to materials they base their opinion on, or any sort of historic or scientific facts that support their conclusion.
The best you can usually hope for is a vague sense of "liking" or "respecting" the candidate. Of course, since they control the flavor of the story (I.E. the spin), you usually come away with exactly the impression they want you to have. For some people, perhaps most, this is enough to win their vote. Since all candidates are pretty much the same, they figure, the best you can do is vote for the one you see as likeable, with a strong presence, and a real-enough sounding claim to hold office.
This book shows it doesn't have to be that way. In his 20 years in the U.S. Congress, Ron Paul has written hundreds of position papers regarding our nation's policies. These papers were brief, coherent, and comprehensive statements of his decision making process. They provide insight into what he believes and why he believes it. If you disagreed with one of his stances, you could seek out and contest the very materials it is based on and argue against it using principle and reason.
"The Revolution" is as a distillation of those hundreds of brilliant papers, updated with current events, and interspersed with prescient quotes from the founders and other luminaries like Bastiat, Rothbard, and VonMises. This book is not like the vanity pieces produced by most campaigns. It offers real insight into the principles that Ron Paul has built his economic, social, and political world view upon. I would recommend this book to anyone, but especially to those unsatisfied with the quality (and quantity) of political debate in this country and hoping for something more substantial.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 872
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